PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Ten American Athletic Conference members will contest for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Women’s Golf Championship, to be held April 15-17 at the Conservatory Course at the Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla.

All three days of the championship can be followed via Golfstat, while the final round of the championship will also feature coverage on the American Digital Network beginning at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT.

Houston, ranked No. 23 in the latest Golfstat rankings, holds the top overall seed for the championship. The Cougars will be out to capture their second American title in three years after winning the 2016 edition on the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach.

The Cougars will be led by Leonie Harm, the top-rated player in The American. Harm finished third at last year’s championship after setting a championship record with a 6-under par round of 66 to open the 2017 championship. This spring, Harm captured one American Player of the Week accolade while staying in contention to be part of the International Team at the Arnold Palmer Cup.

Seeded second for the championship is ECU, which is ranked No. 47 in the Golfstat ratings. The Pirates’ best finish at The American Women’s Golf Championship is a second-place showing in 2016, when Frida Gustafsson Spang took medalist honors. Dorthea Forbrigd, who placed in a tie for 13^th at last year’s championship, is ECU’s top-rated player entering the championship.

Last season, SMU finished second at the championship, led by then-sophomore Brigitte Dunne. Dunne took second on the Conservatory Course, finishing at 6-under par to come within one shot of a playoff. Dunne enters the championship ranked No. 60 in the Golfstat individual ratings to lead the Mustangs this season.

Led by senior Emily Goldenstein, Memphis enters the championship as the fourth-rated team in The American. Goldenstein took two player of the week accolades in the spring season, while teammate Sydney Colwill’s average score of 73.50 ranks third in the conference this season.

The defending American champions, UCF has won two of four American women’s golf championships.  Last year, the Knights placed three players into the top 10 en route to a five-shot win at the championships.

This season, Kaeli Jones – who was seventh at last year’s championship – leads the Knights onto the Conservatory Course. Jones owns the lowest round recorded by an American player this season, firing a 65 earlier in the spring.

Seeded sixth in the championship, Tulane will be looking for its best finish as American members. The Green Wave have finished in seventh place twice in three trips to the championship. Freshman Jennifer Rosenberg leads a lineup that does have a senior among its top six.

Newcomers to The American, Wichita State enters the championship as the No. 7-ranked team. Taryn Torgerson, who earned American Golfer of the Month accolades in the fall season, leads the Shockers’ lineup. Torgerson’s two wins on the season lead The American.

Due to injuries, Tulsa has been competing for much of the season with just four players in its lineup. Tulsa will be playing its fifth consecutive tournament with just four golfers, due to injury. Juniors Olivia Jackson, Nikki Marquardt, Johanna Samulesson and Anneke Strobach comprise Tulsa's 4-player roster.

Led by Nani Merchan, USF will be looking to better last year’s seventh-place showing at the conference championship. Merchan has turned in five top-25 finishes this spring to lead the Bulls. Across the fall and the spring, Merchan owns six top-25 results.

Cincinnati is aiming for another solid performance at the AAC Championship after recording their highest-ever finish at the tournament with a tie for fifth place and its lowest three-round score with an 888 in 2017. Then-sophomore Anika Hitt had an impressive showing with a three-round 220 – including back-to-back rounds of even-par 72 – to finish in a tie for 13th on the player leaderboard.